09.10.17
DCLG clear that pan-Yorkshire devo deal will not be considered
The ‘One Yorkshire’ full county devolution deal will not be considered by DCLG, despite the breakdown of the South Yorkshire deal last month.
Ahead of Keighley MP John Grogan debating the possibility of the deal in Parliament tomorrow, a statement from DCLG suggested that the government was “absolutely clear” that a deal would not be considered for the whole county.
Last month, it was revealed that two councils, Barnsley and Doncaster MBC had backed out of the deal, effectively ending the possibility of a deal for South Yorkshire.
This came after a summer where a coalition of Yorkshire councils had formed a “coalition of the willing” and promised to press forward with a deal for the whole county, rather than just the south.
And at the start of September, DCLG said that a pan-Yorkshire deal was on the table, but that it had to follow the Sheffield City Region’s deal being delivered.
But now, a statement seen by PSE has shown that DCLG is still not looking to implement a new deal for Yorkshire, but will press forward with the SCR deal that was agreed in 2015.
A spokesman for the department said: “It is very disappointing that South Yorkshire councils have pulled away from their devolution deal, which would see the area benefit from around £1bn of new government investment.
“We remain ready and willing to work with local leaders to implement the deal and have no intention to undo the legislation that has already been enacted in Parliament, including legislation for a mayoral election in May 2018,” the statement continued.
“We’ve been absolutely clear that we will not consider a deal for the whole of Yorkshire.”
This summer saw the devolution deal hit a number of obstacles, as plans were put on hold in July until September, when SCR board papers showed that the reform would move forward pending a public
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